Is what you’re feeling guilt—or shame? In this episode, Pastoral Counselors, George May & Chris Torchia, unpack how these emotions shape our lives, relationships, and healing, and share tools for moving from paralyzing shame to growth-driven guilt. We also explore how the gospel not only frees us from guilt but restores our identity and belonging as beloved children of God.

Resources for Further Growth:

The Soul of Shame by Curt Thompson

Shame Interrupted by Ed Welch

Each of us has likely experienced loss in one way or another. The process of grieving those losses looks different for everyone, but what remains true is that God promises to walk through those valleys of grief with us.

Rebekah is no stranger to grief. When her son, Dagan, passed away suddenly at age 23, Rebekah’s world was flipped upside down. Today, she is so generously sharing her story—one filled with evidence that, while the sting of loss never quite goes away, God still works even in the midst of darkness and tragedy.

Resources for Further Growth:

GriefShare

Loss of Spouse GriefShare

Experiencing Grief by H. Norman Wright

Journeying Through Grief (Four-Book Series by Stephen’s Ministries)

Today, Pastor George May, Chris Torchia, and Greg Schmalhofer are unpacking the struggle with addiction. Whether you or someone you know wrestles with addiction, or you’ve ever found yourself turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with the heaviness of life, this episode is for you! We’ll talk about what it’s like for someone experiencing addiction, how different addictions can present themselves, and ultimately how to approach this struggle from a biblical point of view so that we can find hope and support for recovery. No matter how you might find yourself relating to the topic of addiction, you are not alone! 

Resources for Further Growth: 

-       Check out Greg’s Ministry at hoperecovery.us

-       Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave: Finding Hope in the Power of the Gospel by Ed Welch

-       Good News for the Chemically Dependent and Those Who Love Them by Jeff VanVonderan

-       Calvary’s support group, Grace & Hope, meets on Tuesday evenings from 7:00-8:00pm.

Since childhood, Mike has struggled with anxiety and depression. Throughout the years, that struggle has presented itself in different ways, and he has walked through both good seasons and hard seasons. When Mike married Julie, she entered into the battle with him and began to understand struggles of mental health in a new light. Today, Mike and Julie—along with Pastoral Counseling Associate, Chris Torchia—are sharing both their story and insight. But ultimately, they are reminding us that there is hope to be found in the grace of Jesus, even on the hardest days.

Caryl Roper is Calvary’s newest Pastoral Counseling Associate. While she’s new to the team, she has been working in private practice for many years and has been a longtime member of the church. Caryl is typically the person that is genuinely curious and inquisitive of other people’s lives, but today she’s allowing us to turn the tables and hear about her life. Caryl’s testimony and passion for her vocation draw us straight to the heart of God, as she reminds us that we’re created for relationship—both with others and our Creator.

After relocating from Boston to Lancaster in 2024, Jason Smith joined Calvary’s staff as a Worship Associate, primarily focusing on our environments for youth and young adults. Today he’s not only sharing his story of faith, but about the ways he and his family have seen God direct them in ministry over the last several years, what it’s looked like to obediently follow Him, and how he’s learned about slowing down in the process.

Jeremy and Svatia Mueller are Global Partners serving in the Czech Republic. As a young adult, Jeremy went on several short-term trips to Czech, and it was there that he met Svatia, who is a native. After marrying and feeling drawn to missions, they now live in the Czech Republic, where Jeremy works with university students, and Svatia seeks to be a light for the gospel through her everyday relationships. The Muellers’ goal is to be a testimony to the grace of Jesus no matter where He puts them, and their perspective is encouraging to us all, whether we’re called overseas, to another part of the U.S., or to live out our faith within our hometown.

Joel & Rachel Shelley are Calvary Global Partners serving with Word of Life in the Philippines. Their focus is on camp ministry, where they seek to introduce people to Jesus and disciple the next generation of believers, equipping them to make disciples of their own. Today, Joel & Rachel are sharing the story of how God called them into missions, ways they’ve seen Him at work in the Philippines, and the impact that Calvary short-term ministry teams have had over the past several years.

Calvary Elder, Freeman Chakara, was born in Zimbabwe and all but orphaned as a young boy. After committing his life to Christ as an early teen, he faced quite a bit of persecution from his extended family. But the one thing that has been true throughout Freeman’s life is that God is faithful to provide. Today he is sharing the story of how God brought him from a small village in Africa to where he is today—a Doctor of Psychology with his own local practice, where he lives out the Great Commission by caring for people’s emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Today we have the privilege of hearing from Steve Iseman, who has served on the Elder Board for about 5 ½ years. You may have heard a bit about Steve on Episode 20, when we heard from his wife, Meg, who oversees our ministry to 5th & 6th graders here at Calvary. Like Meg, Steve is also a former teacher, and he loves being able to serve alongside her in C56, because he believes it’s such a formative age where there is so much opportunity for spiritual growth. Today, Steve is sharing about his own faith journey and reflecting on his time as an Elder as his term draws to a close at the end of 2025.